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Friday, April 5, 2013

Killer Banana Chocolate Chip Cake

"Always Do Your Best. Your best is going to change from moment to moment; it will be different when you are healthy as opposed to sick. Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret."

-Miguel Angel Ruiz

This is a cake I've been making for many years, I can't believe I hadn't blogged abut it sooner. It's really a home run. It's so moist and full of flavor and texture. An awesome cake overall. And who doesn't like bananas and chocolate? But this isn't the cake I intended to make for today's post.

Mixing together the streusel

I made 2 different carrot cakes. The first cake was good. I made it again to see if I could make it better. It was good, but not really great. I knew I could do better.

These are my frozen bananas. You can use frozen bananas, just make sure you thaw them first and drain off the liquid.

Then I decided to go in a whole new direction and make this killer cake!

I tell you about my failures for a few reasons. For one, I want you to know that I really care about the recipes I post here. I only post my best recipes. I don't post recipes that are just o.k. or so so. I like to do my best. One of the greatest little books I've ever read is by Don Miguel Ruiz called The Four Agreements. One of those agreements is, always do your best. That one has always been my favorite and resonated with me the most. I don't want you to make one of my recipes and be disappointed because it wasn't everything I promised. I know you have better things to do with your time and money spent on the ingredients.

Another reason for me sharing my failures, is that even though I'm a decent cook and baker, I still have days where I feel like my baking sucks and I can't seem to get it right. Which is fine, it's just like anything. Even Leonardo DiCaprio didn't get every acting job he went out on when he first started, (it's said that he went on something like 85 auditions before ever getting hired) that's just life. And sometimes we need to carry on with following our dreams and with what makes us happy despite setbacks in the moment.

The cake before adding the streusel

And one more reason for me telling you this? That's why I don't have recipes posted here as often as I probably should. But hey, we're all different and that's what works for me, for now anyway.

Ready for the oven

So, back to the cake. This is seriously delicious cake. So good in fact that I felt the need to add the adjective of "Killer" to it's name. It's moist, it's flavorful, it has streusel on top, and it's a great use of leftover bananas. It's good as a coffee cake during brunch, or for a casual dessert any time of day. This cake really rules, it is my best. So I wanted to share it with you.

Hot cake right out of the oven - This cake makes your house smell seriously amazing.

Make the streusel. In a medium bowl mix all of the streusel ingredients together except the butter. Add the melted butter and stir together. Set aside.

Prepare an 8 inch square pan by spraying it with non stick spray, set aside.

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon. Stir in the chocolate chips and walnuts, set aside. Beat together (with an electric mixer or stand mixer) the butter and sugar until fluffy. Scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the egg and mix together until incorporated. Beat in the mashed bananas, vanilla extract and yogurt (or sour cream if using.) Add the dry ingredients and stir it in the batter with a spoon until all is incorporated.

Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle on the streusel topping. Add a few more chocolate chips on top of the streusel, if desired. (I did, just so they would be obvious on top of the cake, so when you see it you know there's chocolate there.) Bake in the preheated oven for about 50 - 65 minutes. Wiggle the cake to check for doneness. If it's still jiggly in the middle, it needs more time. It's done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Cool cake on a wire rack. I think it's best served warm. When cool, wrap it well. It should keep a few days. It freezes well. Wrap individual portions in plastic wrap, then place in a zip top bag. Defrost portions at room temperature for an hour or 2. Or microwave a piece for 30 seconds or so for an instant treat from the freezer!

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Charles Pierre Monselet

"Enchant, stay beautiful and graceful, but do this, eat well. Bring the same consideration to the preparation of your food as you devote to your appearance. Let your dinner be a poem, like your dress.”

Frank Lloyd Wright

"Dining is and always was a great artistic opportunity."

Marianne Williamson

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, "who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God.'Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightening about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us, it's in everyone. And as we let our light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others."